UK Passport Drops to 21st Place as Most Powerful Country in the World

The UK passport has lost its position among the top 20 most powerful passports in the world. Currently, it’s occupying the 21st position on the Passport Index. The Passport Index shows rankings of passports of different countries based on the number of countries each passport holder can visit without first requiring a visa. The UK went down by 9 spots from 12th position last year in October 2017.

In 2017, many countries in the EU and the US as well, overtook the UK in the rankings, pushing it down to the 21st position. Some of these EU countries include Austria, France, Greece, Portugal, Denmark, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain.

The UAE tops the list

Currently, the passport of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the first time ranks first. It outranked Singapore which ranks second and Germany which ranks third.

Information compiled by Arton Capital, a Global financial advisory revealed that the UAE passport could take its holder to 167 countries without them getting a visa ahead. Out of these 167 countries, the passport can take its holder into 113 countries without a visa, while for the remaining 54, the UAE passport holder can get the visa on arrival.

British citizens can enter 164 countries without a visa. 119 of them are visa-free while the rest 45 will be obtained on arrival. Ireland falls on number 22 while Canada falls on number 23.

Since 2017, the UK hasn’t lost its visa-free access status to any country. With Brexit coming, it has not been decided whether British citizens will need visas to any of the EU countries after Brexit. The EU Commission, however, has suggested visa-free access to Brits provided that the UK will reciprocate. But the recommendation has not yet been decided by neither the UK government nor the European Parliament and Council.

Afghanistan is at the bottom of the ladder with its passport giving its holders access to only 29 countries without prior visas. The Passport Index, however, covers only the 193 member-states of the United Nations and six other territories.

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